What's Indoctrination Again?

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"Such an approach recognizes the critical need to allow our military and their families the full opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process through a thorough understanding of their concerns, insights and suggestions."

Monday, May 24, 2010

LOST: All Good Things...

Like I've said before: Miles was hands down the luckiest character on that damn show. Kate a close second and Lapidus third. I don't count characters like Hurley and Ben because they had established connections.

The Battle for the Island: stretched-out yet still worth watching. Especially because I was trying to get an idea of what Ben was going to do, how Desmond was going to sacrifice himself, the special trick that was going to make Smokey vulnerable, and what role characters like Sawyer and Richard would play. On that note, it's interesting to see that in the end, the Island has been "reset," implying that a lot of things (namely the "rules" that govern the Island) can be changed with the changing of the guard. Really, everything that happened from the unplugging to the re-plugging was awesome.

If Season 6 had dragged on like the first two, I'm guessing that each character's X-World Revelation would have come in their own centric episode. The X-World Flash Revelations that shocked me? Sayid's (so Sharon's his true love? Not Nadia?), Sawyer's and Juliet's (really: before Season 5 I didn't see them as a couple), and Kate's (Claire giving birth? OK; whatever). Otherwise the others were pretty much as I expected (especially Jack being the last one to have one).

Two things I called: Lapidus surviving (everyone, include LOST Untangled, was careful to keep him off of the Dead Roster) and Jack giving Island Guard Duty to someone else (even though I thought is was Kate, but considering who Jacob was, the second pick makes sense).

Character-wise, I guess my biggest disappointments were of Kate and Claire. Every other female character had some kind of big development of change. Claire's turn from Pregnant Australian to Heart & Soul to Crazy Jungle Mom to "She was with us in the beginning, let's take her with us" felt disjointed (in the early seasons) and rushed (Season 6). I'm glad she got the ending she did, because honestly if any of Flight 815 deserved it, it was Claire.

As for Kate: really, what was her purpose? To tease Sawyer and Jack? To give birth to Aaron? I mean, she helped Jack in the end, but let's be honest: everyone but Hurley has shot someone as this point in the series (oh wait, Hurley shot Charlie in the X-World; Welcome to the Gun Club, Hugo!). Everyone seemed to either have a mystical connection to the Island or heart-wrenching love story or intriguing tale of redemption. But the Island never really seemed to need Kate, her love triangle with Jack and Sawyer worn thin after Season 3 and to be honest she was as repentant as Mr. Eko when it came to her actual crime. I really, really wanted...more from Kate, and since Day One it always felt like she was holding back. Don't get me wrong, she made a little hop here and there, but never a full leap. And considering all the strong female characters who died before her, it's kinda sad.

Oh, and considering what this "gathering" in the X-World was all about, it's interesting that Ben, Ana-Lucia, Michael, Walt and the characters from the Freighter were holdouts. My theory? Michael (and possibly characters like Nikki and Paulo) is stuck on the Island (as he told Hurley earlier). Walt and Ana-Lucia aren't really part of this group. Now I understand that this ending had to deal with both life and death and the supernatural but personally I don't think that had to go that route to put a period on the show.

It seems to me that the writers took all the fan-created theories about what the Island is, and used them to explain the alternate time line. For example, most people thought the Island was one of the following1 ) Purgatory2 ) A figment of someone's imagination3 ) Parallel dimension that exists outside time and space

Turns out if you combine these theories you get the alternate time line. It is a form of purgatory, created by the collective conscious of the Lost characters, which exists in a time/space all of its own. This is an interesting explanation, but for it to work you need to accept the fact that a hydrogen bomb, when detonated with a rock, does not kill. It merely teleports you 30 years into the future so you can see your friends.

As for the Island: Full Circle, baby. And that's the point: it was always about the Island. What happened in the flashbacks provided the "why" and "how" for the characters. What happened in the flashforwards showed us how much the Island really meant to them. And this season? Well, whether you had an alternate world, purgatory or a dream sequence somebody would have felt robbed. But in reality, the X-World mattered as much as the flashbacks and the flashforwards did in relation to what was happening on the Island.

Thanks to everyone who played a part in the show. I never thought I would find something to help with my Buffy and Angel withdrawal, and you guys not only did that but you showed everyone that's it's still possible to make a good show with compelling characters and interesting stories. Here's hoping that in 5-to-10 years someone can learn from this and make something just as good.

(I may do a character-by-character grade within the next week or two; so while it's the end of the show it's not the end end)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Quote of the Day

Quidditch is a dirty, filthy game that should not be viewed by anyone at all, let alone children. Let's start with the obvious: The game is played by having each player climb on top of a long wooden shaft. Then everyone rides their shafts around, trying to "beat off" the other shafts flying all over the place and chasing balls around the field.

There's also something called the golden snatch-excuse us, "snitch." A few talented young boys try to find this special tiny thing, which is hard to find, but makes women squeal with delight when you grab it. What kind of author is J.K. Rowling that she'd try to convince impressionable children that the mythical G-spot actually exists?

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Huh?

NBA Playoffs: Blame the Kiddies

Jason Whitlock lays the bad play of Phoenix and Orlando on the feet of Amar'e Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, respectively:

These guys are clueless. They’re the most talented and important players on their teams and they have the maturity level of 13-year-olds. They set a terrible tone for their teams.

Howard just wants to have fun. Stoudemire just wants to score points. Neither is interested in giving a playoff-level defensive effort.

You don’t learn how to play great defense in summer/AAU basketball. You don’t learn how to compete at a championship level in AAU basketball.

Before summer basketball replaced high school hoops as the most important training ground for a teenage baller, kids used to be taught how to compete, how to accept coaching and that important games pitting equally talented players are most often decided at the defensive end.

Howard and Stoudemire are full-blooded AAU Babies. They were raised in the era where the penalty for a high school phenom ignoring the teachings of his coach was a spot in the draft lottery and a shoe contract with Nike or Adidas.

They didn’t join Michael Jordan’s NBA. They joined Allen Iverson’s league. There’s a major difference.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Trust Me; This Is a Good Thing

Transformers is, in part, about big honking' robots beating the shit out of each other while us puny humans try not to get squashed or vaporized. It's also about showing how despite their technological advancements, Autobots and Decepticons have noticeable human characteristics. You got a sense of both in the first movie; the second one? Not so much. Part of that was because the director decided to include Jar-Jar Binks-like robots, but part of it was also due to the movie dealing with non-Transformer-related issues like Sam trying to have a web cam date with his girlfriend. A single Sam is a more compelling character, and the franchise will be better for it.

Fox got what she wanted out of this: exposure. She can now pretty much have her pic of projects, and unlike most celebrities who are known more for their looks that their acting ability, she didn't have to star in a reality show or "accidentally" lose a sex tape to get it (photos are, um, a different matter). She has a chance, similar to Dolly Parton and Pamela Anderson, to play up her sex appeal in different projects without completely demeaning herself (*cough-cough*) or being known for just having a nice rack (*cough-cough*). And she can also take the opportunity to shed this "Oh, she's just a younger Angelina Jolie" thing (Personally, I always thought of Fox as being Shannen Doherty 2.0).

And also, let's face it: the girl was bad-mouthing the movies so much I thought she was channeling Katherine Heigl.

Like This Season Of "LOST," Only, Well, It's Real Life

In Kentucky, the national Republican Party backed the wrong candidate in not one but two primaries. The Democrats managed to hold on to Rep. John Murtha's old seat in Pennsylvania. And while Sen. Arlen Specter is no longer a Republican, his defeat by Rep. Joe Sestak in the Democratic primary means the GOP nominee will face, perhaps, a much stronger opponent than the beleaguered Specter would have been.

It was a rough night for the Republicans.

No one suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune more than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. His hand-picked candidate was trounced by tea partier Rand Paul in the Kentucky Senate primary. McConnell's pick, Trey Grayson, only got 35% of the vote despite his party's backing. Grayson even lost in his home county.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

LOST: Last-Minute Decisions

A very interesting episode. Not too exciting, but not too mundane either. I could have watched Ben Linus and Miles bicker back-and-forth for another half hour. I was have expecting Jack so-far-unknown wife, not Claire, to show up at the breakfast table. I totally suspected that Linus would sell his soul for another shot at running the Island. I didn't think we'd get a group meeting headed by Jacob.

All and all, it was a decent balance of revelation and suspense: we learned enough to be satisfied for what is now a LOST TV movie on Sunday, yet it's not like the next two-and-a-half hours will be fluff.

REVELATIONS

The biggest one of all was Jacob's rationale for bringing everyone to the Island: they were flawed people missing something in their lives, and he was hoping that by bringing them to the Island they would find something to make them whole.

X-Miles and his father know each other, and are (presumably) on good terms.

Widmore (claims to have) talked to Jacob, and (presumably) had a change of heart.

Ben keeps C-4 in his home.

Ghost Boy Jacob was corporeal enough to grab his own ashes out of Hurley's hands. I could only write a sentence like that about LOST.

OBSERVATIONS

Jack noticed another injury in the mirror.

Ben apparently still blamed Widmore for Alex's death. A real shame; I had hoped to see Chuck in the endgame.

Jack's eagerness to be the New Jacob rubbed me the wrong way. It just feels like he's doing this because nothing else he's done has made him feel better. I really think the Island's going to end up with someone else running it when it's all said and done.

None of the other three seemed too taken back in seeing Jacob; wonder if they knew he was, well, dead.

X-Kate's "eww" reaction to having to wear a dress was priceless.

Desmond has become the new hatch; the thing everyone wants. Ironic considering he was guarding the original hatch.

I totally caught the subtle flirting between Danielle and X-Ben.

When it comes to dealing with Smokey, Richard just can't catch a break.

Smokey left Claire behind in his trip to Dharmaville.

Again, Miles is the luckiest non-First Season character on LOST. Him and Hurley are like #21 and #24 from "The Venture Bros." Then again, #24 died so...nevermind.

THEORIES/PREDICTIONS

Something happens to Jack and Kate takes over. She's the least likely person with Sawyer possibly wanting redemption for Sun and Jin dying and Hurley, despite not wanting the gig, would also want to protect his friends. Besides, in the original draft, Jack's character was supposed to die leaving Kate's character to be the leader. And, if you think about it, Kate's one of the least developed character in the show; I mean think about it: how has she grown in comparison to Jack, Sayid, Locke or even late-comers like Desmond and Ben? She's due for a character growth spurt.

Of Clarie and Ben, one person will die in service to Smokey, the other will die while having a change of heart. Just not sure of who will do which yet.

If Jacob has found a way to kill Smokey by now, he would have told the Final Four. I don't buy the "He wouldn't reveal it because it's his brother" because last week proved Jacob was not above hurting him. So there's a good chance that whoever becomes the New Jacob will have to watch Smokey until their replacement.

I believe Desmond is a failsafe as Widmore suggested, but not as he thought: Desmond's role is to impact the X-World enough to change the real world to the remaining Candidate's favor.

QUESTIONS

Why can't there be more than one protector?

Why would Widmore leave the safety of his camp? Was his entire team wiped out?

Why is X-Ana-Lucia in such desperate need for cash?

Was Desmond's comment about Ana-Lucia and indication that her (and others) could be "awakened" as well?

If Jacob's rationale for bringing the Flight 815 survivors is accurate, what about those who didn't survive, or who died on the Island without make a significant impact? What about main characters like Libby or Shannon?

Did Jacob drop some other knowledge on the Final Four between the cuts? I hope so.

Wait; where did Miles go?

If Smokey wants to destroy the Island, doesn't that mean Ben has no real motivation to help him anymore? I mean, Ben wanted the Island; that's wht he's done every horrible thing he's done. Sooooo...helping the MIB destroy the Island would mean all of Ben's efforts were for nothing, right?

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“I think increasingly you will see a sprinkling of these kinds of churches all over most metro areas. I don’t think it’s going to be the dominant model, but . . . alongside the standard white-bread congregation and the all-immigrant congregation, there will be this growing mixture of diverse congregations: the pan-Asian, pan-African, and truly multiracial and multiethnic.’’

Kareem Abdoul-Jabbar: Raise NBA Entry Limit to 21

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

LOST: Mother, May I?

Whether you liked it, hated it, or gained some kind of insight from it, last night's episode was definitely a classic LOST story. And despite the snark, Mother's comment to her soon-to-be victim rang true: the more questions this show answers, the more questions will be raised. Why? Because the only way we'll truly know everything is by going to the absolute beginning. And as "The Phantom Menace" proved, sometimes you can go back too far.

So for the sake of the show, LOST begins with "Mother" finding Claudia, helping her give birth, and than pulling a "Taking Lives" by assuming Claudia's natural role as the matriarch. The new family plays "The Blue Lagoon" until it's revealed that there are more people on the Island (even back then people thought they could just kick their shoes off and make themselves home) and Mother has to deal with it as only she knows how.

REVELATIONS (DISCOVERIES)

Jacob and the MIB are twins.

"Mother" killed the Twins birth-mom Claudia as soon as she delivered them.

While the motives are still unclear, Mother was certainly raising Jacob and the MIB to be opposites: from she dressed and addressed them, the things she allowed them to do.

In addition, Mother seemed very concerned when she learned that Claudia was having twins as opposed to one child. Perhaps she thought/expected just one, making the choice of a successor (candidate) easier.

Either the Island is bigger than we've been led to know or Mother was very careful to keep The Twins away from certain parts, considering that they never encountered the other survivors of Claudia's boat until their teens and that neither found the Cave of Watery Light until Mother took Jacob back there.

QUESTIONS

Why did Mother need to kill Claudia?

How did Mother manage to kill the survivors of Claudia's boat crash 30 years later?

How was Mother able to keep the Cave of Watery Light hidden from everyone?

Why didn't Mother ever name the MIB?

Why was the MIB the only person who could see Claudia's ghost?

What was the motivation behind what Claudia's ghost was telling the MIB?

If Mother (and then Jacob) was concerned about dangerous people coming to the Island, how does keeping the MIB on the Island fit in?

UPDATE: As suggested in the comments, some of my questions may be answered via this little tidbit: Mother, in a fit of insanity and loneliness, went into the Cave of Watery Light and became the first Smoke Monster. It would explain how she knew about the CoWL's powers as well as her being able to kill a small village (and fill up that well). Of course, with the current Smokey, we saw that while the MIB was transformed, his body (along with Mother's) was laid to rest.

“That’s the beauty of our team. It makes us so dangerous. When you look at Cleveland, you know you’ve got to stop LeBron. With us, we’ve got four or five guys who can lead us in scoring. You never know where it’s going to come from and that’s what makes us so dangerous — different guys stepping up different nights.’’

Miller (Cruise) is a secret agent who goes on a blind date with unlucky-in-love June Havens (Diaz), and ends up pulling her into a serious yet comedic journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.

In other words: cute Blonde girl meets Tall, Dark (hair, not race) and Handsome only to find out that TD&H is a secret agent! And he kills people humorously!

Even The Dictionary Can Be Wrong

SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian physicist has uncovered an error in dictionary definitions that has likely stood uncorrected for a century.

University of Queensland academic Stephen Hughes found that entries for the word 'siphon' incorrectly said atmospheric pressure is the force that allows the device to move liquids from one place to another.

"It is gravity that moves the fluid in a siphon, with the water in the longer downward arm pulling the water up the shorter arm," he said.

"An extensive check of online and offline dictionaries did not reveal a single dictionary that correctly referred to gravity being the operative force in a siphon," he added.

Hughes, whose fields of study include astronomy, meteors, planets and the moon, said he first found the error in the Oxford English Dictionary last year.

Justin Bieber Tells Fans To Stop Sending Kim Karhashian Death Threats Because The Two Are Just Friends

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You see, she had to apologize: Andrews has a bigger sympathy base, she's on a more popular show and her and Hasselbeck are technically co-workers (both "The View" and "DWTS" are on the same network and Disney owns ABC and ESPN where Andrews works).

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

LOST: That Sinking Feeling

Wow. Just wow. Jack's comment, "There is no Sayid" says it all. And as of the end of the episode, you can probably say the same of Sun, Jin and Frank. I could go into the off-Island flash-ways, but there wasn't as much there as there was in the "real" world. Well, except for the fact that (once again) Jack's obsession with fixing things leads to embarrassment. Anyway; as questionable as events were, we learned that there are now three candidates (Jack, Hurley and Sawyer) three wild cards (Kate, Miles and Claire) and three "protectors" (Richard and Ben) left. At this point, the wild cards and the "protectors" are still expendable, but something tells me at least two of them will do something awesome before the series finale.

DISCOVERIES

Smokey knows how to rig explosives; I just find this interesting considering his smashing Zoe's radio seemed to indicate that he wasn't a fan of technology.

Whatever his final intentions for them, Smokey planned to keep the group together the whole time.

In the X-World, Locke's accident was caused by a plane crash; more specifically, him trying to fly.

Claire's pretty good with a gun. In fact, by this point in the show everyone but Hurley seems to be fairly comfortable with shooting guns. Talk about coming a long way.

OBSERVATIONS

Going by Ben's "When the Island's done with you, you die" logic, we can argue that after Sayid confirmed Desmond's living status and whereabouts, and how to deactivate the bomb, he purpose had been served.

By the same token, Jack's theory that the bomb wouldn't go off seemed to be valid.

Had Jack let Hurley wait around, it's possible (though not probable) that Hurley could have gotten Kate and Sawyer out (Kate was conscious; Hurley would only have to focus on Sawyer; the three could split an oxygen tank; they were roughly three "sub"-minutes from resurfacing). Jack could have then helped Jin save Sun.

In Season Two, Jack wouldn't push a button (that Locke believed needed to be pushed, least they all die) because he didn't believe. In this episode, Jack would diffuse a bomb (that Sawyer believed needed to be diffused least they all die) because he did believe.

Frank (the Ajira pilot) had another "pilot" (of the sub) at gunpoint.

Sayid, despite playing against common stereotypes of those of Muslim descent, dies carrying a bomb intended to kill a group of people (mostly Americans).

QUESTIONS

What was Jin and Sun's purpose? (Again, using Ben's theory). They didn't reveal anything crucial or do anything of consequence; if this was their end it could have well been Nikki and Paulo or Rose and Bernard in that damn sub.

Why did Claire wait so long to try to get to the sub? Even friggin' Hurley managed to get in before her. Didn't she notice that everyone had stopped shooting?

Did Widmore really set the charges on the plane? If so, then what the hell are Richard, Ben and Miles doing?

What's the tally of the non-main cast background crew, namely the remaining 815 survivors, the Others who were with Ben before the Freighter came, the Others who were with Richard before the Island starting jumping through time, and the Other at the Temple with Dogan? Sure, some of these people went from one group to another, but not all of them did. And what of those in Smokey's Group who survived the mortar attack and ran into the jungle?

Why did Sawyer want Jack to take care of Smokey?

If Smokey knows how to make a bomb, does he know how to disable the one on the Ajira plane completely?

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"This rally was double the size of the largest rally that has ever been held in Greece...tomorrow afternoon, we will also be holding a protest in front of Parliament, and if the government does not listen, there will be more strike action next week."

A Disturbing Peak Into The World of Cinematic Construction

A Rarity In The Country Music World

Someone coming out, that is. Actually, you could make the same case for other forms of music (rock, hip-hip, R&B) as well. Other than pop music (which seems to thrive off of sexual ambiguity) most of the other genres tend to lean toward having their artists portray a straight persona.

Monday, May 03, 2010

I'll Admit It...

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“I know when you win your first two at home the first thing you tell your team is, ‘That’s what they’re thinking [the series hasn’t started].’ Even though, that’s not what they’re thinking. They’re thinking, ‘We’ve got to win the next game.’ ’’